Star Wars Jedi Knight 3:Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is a first and third-person shooter action game set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by Raven Software and published, distributed and marketed by LucasArts in North America and by Activision in the rest of the world. Jedi Academy was released in September 2003 and received positive reviews, achieving an 81% aggregate score. In September 2009, the game was re-released along with its 3 predecessors through Steam and Direct2Drive. Jedi Academy is powered by the same version of the Quake III Arena engine used in its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, containing modifications to the Quake code to include lightsaber combat. In a new feature to the series, the player can modify the character's gender and appearance, and can construct a lightsaber by choosing the hilt style and blade color. The player takes control of the character Jaden Korr, a student at the Jedi Academy under the tutelage of Kyle Katarn. The player must complete various missions assigned to them by Kyle Katarn and Luke Skywalker. There is a multiplayer mode that allows the player to play against other people over a network. The game was made available on the Mac App Store on January 23, 2013. Gameplay As a first/third person shooter set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Jedi Academy puts the player into combat wielding a variety of firearms from the universe, as well as lightsabers and Force powers. The player can choose perspective for every weapon but the lightsaber, which can only be used in third person. The shooter aspects of the game are standard, including a variety of projectile and energy weapons and explosives. Players have a health meter and a shield meter, which are replenished separately. In both single player and multiplayer, the player character is a Force-user, who has access to a variety of Force powers in addition to his or her lightsaber(s). Powers include pushing and pulling, jumping, healing, lightning, and other abilities from the Star Wars universe. Force powers are categorized into Light (defensive), neutral, and Dark (offensive), and each Force power has three ranks. The power will increase in effectiveness with each rank. In both singleplayer and multiplayer, players choose how to rank up their powers, adding a layer of customizability. During gameplay, the player has a "Force meter" which is depleted when powers are used, and recharges when no powers are in use. Jedi Academy places a heavy emphasis on lightsaber combat. The player can create a custom lightsaber by selecting a hilt and one of five blade colors.The player can choose to wield a single saber, one saber in each hand, or a "saber staff" similar to Darth Maul's double ended lightsaber in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.The different sabers each have unique styles and special moves. When using a single saber, the player can choose between three stances which affect the speed and power of attacks; if using dual sabers, the player can switch off the second saber and use the "Fast"-style single-saber stance. Single player The player initially chooses the character's species and gender, and begins the game with a single lightsaber. Midway through the game, the player can choose to use dual sabers or a saber staff if desired. The campaign alternates between linear missions and user-selected missions. During user-selected missions, the player is given a list of five missions, and chooses what order to complete them in. The player is only required to complete four of the missions before advancing.Between missions the player can choose one of their force skills to improve. This will increase the impact of each force power and so makes the character more powerful as the game progresses.The game also introduces player-controllable vehicles and vehicle-based levels. Multiplayer In multiplayer mode, one can play online or on a local area network (LAN) with other players as well as computer-controlled bots. The player can create their avatar using a series of options similar to the character creation in single player. Alternatively the player can choose to play as one of almost all of the existing characters from Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy. Before a match begins, the server specifies the Force ranking that will be used; this controls how many points the players have to invest in different Force powers. Players can then customize their powers for the match. The server can also disable normal weapons to create a lightsaber-only game. There are different multiplayer modes such as capture the flag, Power Duel and Siege. Depending on the mode, players can play on their own or as part of a team. There are six multiplayer modes in total. There are many third-party multiplayer modifications for Jedi Academy. One is Lugormod which has a large community backing and can be found here. Lugormod is a modification which is 100% server-sided and allows the server developers to customize maps made by the game developer Ravensoft, it also allows players to level up and assign skill points to increase their power in the game. Lugormod was developed by Lugor and later by RoboPhred and is one of the most played modifications in Jedi Academy as of 2013. Story The player takes the role of Jaden Korr, a new student arriving at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Jaden Korr, along with fellow student Rosh Penin, becomes an apprentice to Kyle Katarn, the main protagonist of the previous games. As an apprentice, the player is dispatched on various peace-keeping missions across the galaxy. As the game progresses, Jaden encounters the 'Disciples of Ragnos', a Sith cult who are stealing Force energy from various locations across the galaxy. The player learns that the cult is led by Tavion, the former apprentice of Kyle's nemesis Desann from Jedi Outcast. Tavion has recovered the Scepter of Ragnos, which has the power to drain and release Force energy. She plans to restore the Sith to power by using the stolen Force energy to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos. The story has two different endings, depending on which side of the Force the player chooses. After learning that Rosh has betrayed the Jedi and joined Tavion, the player can choose either killing him and turning to the dark side or letting him live thus staying on the light side. If the player follows the non-canonical dark side, Jaden kills Rosh but refuses to join the Sith or help resurrect Marka Ragnos. Jaden kills Tavion to steal the power of the Scepter of Ragnos and, after defeating Kyle in combat, embarks on a campaign of conquest. Kyle, who is found to have survived the duel with Jaden by Luke Skywalker, laments losing both Rosh and Jaden and vows to hunt Jaden down. Luke, wishing Kyle good luck, notes that though Jaden has turned to the dark side, there is always hope and Jaden is not beyond redemption. On the canonical light path, Kyle and Jaden rescue Rosh. Jaden goes to the Tomb of Ragnos to confront Tavion. After besting her in a fight, her body is possessed by Ragnos' ghost. Jaden defeats Ragnos and destroys the Scepter, banishing Ragnos' spirit back into its tomb after defeating it.In both endings Tavion is killed.